Black Eagle (2012/aka Soar Into The Sun/South
Korea/CJ Entertainment/Indomina DVD)
Picture:
B Sound: B Extras: B Film: A-
Tae-hun (played
by the actor Rain) is a hot shot military pilot who gets demoted for breaking
too many rules, stunts and the air speed. Eager to prove he is the best pilot and get
the hot girl, he is willing to show dog and hot dog his way to the top in the
next air competition, but when things get real, and a nation is threatened for
war, it is up Tae-hun to prevent all out war in Kim Dong-won’s Black Eagle.
Tae-hun
is the kind of egotistic hot shot South Korean pilot who all his superiors
hate, but they can't fire because he is just too good. Pulling highly dangerous stunts and disobeying
orders is as natural to him as a duck to water, but when one of their own is
left behind enemy lines, a coup d’Etat occurs in North Korean and its
new dictator threatens to launch nuclear ICBMs on USA. Tae-hun must rise to become the hero everyone
hopes he is.
This film
is Korea's version of Top Gun as
(predictably) the hot shot pilot has no respect for rules or superiors and who
is frustrated by all the military rules (sound familiar?). It is only when tragedy happens does he grow
up and his then colors truly shine. Its
combat scenes take place in not only air but city settings with collateral
damage; a story of how South Korea
saves America
from North Korean nuclear strike (no political message at all here~)
The
anamorphically enhanced 2.35 X 1 image was shot on a newer RED ONE camera at
4.5K and the results are fine, though it still has a slight digital look, but
maybe a Blu-ray would look better. The
lossy Dolby Digital 5.1 mix has a good soundfield all the way, especially in
the flying sequences, as you would expect.
Extras include behind the scenes filming, character interview, gravity
test and trailers.
- Ricky Chiang